Yes, I know, I said I wouldn't disappear for so long again, but it's your fault for believing me. Anyway, here we are, we're back, and it's time for a music post.
Dynasty: A family whose members maintain the same profession or occupation throughout generations, often perpetuating political, economic, or cultural influence.
Now that nepotism is so trendy, that definition shouldn't be unfamiliar to us (though it has different nuances), and although there are dynasties in many industries, few are as funny or curious as in music, and for every famous surname you know, there are three with three times the power and three times more unknown (except for the Jackson family, you know we love the Jackson family in this house).
To properly introduce the Gordy family, we need to start with a bit of music history. On November 28, 1929, in Detroit, a boy was born, the seventh brother in a family of eight, who in his youth tried different things like boxing or joining the military. He opened a record store that went bankrupt (this will be supremely ironic for what will come next), and while working at Ford, he kept struggling to make a living from music, sending demos to contests and thus getting into the scene. Later, with the support of his family, he founded Tamla Records, which three years later would become Motown Records, and that boy is Berry Gordy, patriarch of the Gordy family and legendary music producer.
Having introduced Berry, we must look slightly into the history of Motown to understand the roots of this family in the industry. The record label, once established, managed to earn just enough to stay afloat, but it helped that there was a shift in trends; big bands were declining in popularity (they were very expensive to maintain), and instead, jazz and rhythm & blues were on their way up. However, out of the three major record labels of the time, Capitol, Columbia, and Decca, only the latter showed minimal interest, because back then, record labels were not as open to changing trends as they are now. This led new artists to turn to independent record labels, such as Motown at that time, or Peacock and Vee Jay. All the social changes that were happening in the United States paved the way for a new musical generation influenced by African American artists and also marketed to them, this was significant as they had never had that kind of representation or visibility in mainstream media and art before.
During the 1960s, Gordy built an empire with a roster featuring names like Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder, and the crown jewel of that era, The Supremes, whose sales were only surpassed by The Beatles at the time. From The Supremes emerged Diana Ross, who was equally successful as a solo artist (and who was married to both Berry and then Gene Simmons, the bassist of KISS). But what made Motown great wasn't just that they had talented artists; they also had the best composers and lyricists. In fact, the fame some of them gained caused many headaches for the record label. Thus, Gordy was who assigned them to artists, and as we can see after the signing of the Jackson 5, producers or composers simply appeared as "The Corporation" in the credits to avoid ego problems and rivalries.
By the end of the 1980s, with the emergence of the major record labels, Gordy was forced to sell Motown to RCA, which later sold it to Polygram, eventually becoming part of Universal due to its acquisition by the latter (a recurring theme within the music industry, record labels buying eachother). The truth is that, Motown and its history, with its quirks, could fill an entire post on its own, so let's get to the point: the Gordy family. Because with the sale of Motown, don't think that the presence of the Gordy family in the music scene faded away. To better illustrate this presence, let me tell you about Kennedy William Gordy, Stefan Kendal Gordy, Skyler Austen Gordy, Mahogany Cheyenne Gordy, Hazel Gordy, and Denise Gordy (they didn't lose the Gordy surname, not by a long shot).
Kennedy William Gordy AKA Rockwell
Being the son of Berry and knowing that the Gordy surname carried considerable weight, he decided to adopt his nickname as his stage name. To avoid accusations of nepotism, he signed the contract without his father's knowledge. Now, forgive me, but this still qualifies as nepotism to me, because if he hadn't been who he was, it wouldn't have been as easy for him to secure that contract. But anyway...
He gained fame with "Somebody Is Watching Me" alongside the great Sir Michael Jackson (but there was no nepotism, right?). He released three albums and numerous singles, but none reached the fame of the hit mentioned before.
Stefan Kendal Gordy and Skyler Austen Gordy AKA LMFAO
Yes my friends, LMFAO consisted of two members of the Gordy family, Stefan and Skyler, son and grandson of Berry respectively, making Stefan Skyler's uncle. They were known by their stage names Redfoo and Skyblu.
Redfoo (left) y Skyblu (right)
Redfoo dabbled in various fields apart from music, such as sports and finance, until he formed LMFAO with his nephew in 2006. They were a sensation at the time, bringing electro-pop to the mainstream and enjoying considerable worldwide success until the group's breakup in 2012 due to money issues (how unusual, right?). According to Skyblu, he was in a motorcycle accident, and Redfoo didn't show any concern for him. Additionally, Redfoo legally won 100% of the rights to LMFAO when they originally held them at 50-50. Welp.
Mahogany Cheyenne Gordy
I think only people who have spent a lot of time chronically online will know what I'm talking about. During the "Vine" app era, there was a group of boys who became famous, mainly for being good-looking (the Magcon Boys), although some of them also sang (fun fact, singer Shawn Mendes emerged from this group). She was the only female member.
Once that group disbanded, Mahogany, under the stage name Mahogany LOX, tried to venture into the music world, following the Gordy tradition, releasing some singles, but they didn't really make much of an impact.
Hazel Gordy
I'm going to be honest with you, I included Hazel because she married Jermaine Jackson, which further united the Jackson family with Motown. This was up until the Jackson 5 wanted to leave for CBS and Jermaine wanted to remain loyal to Motown, causing the group to split up (all of this just for Jermaine to end up going to Arista in the end, things happen).
Denise Gordy
Okay, Denise, Berry's niece, is also here because of the family ties she "gained" for Motown, which were quite a few. And let me try to explain this because it's quite a story. Firstly, she married actor Richard Lawson, with whom she had Bianca Lawson, also an actress. And who did Richard Lawson marry after divorcing Denise? Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. Secondly, and here comes the astral journey, she had a child with Marvin Gaye (one of Motown's greats, as we've already mentioned), who at the time was married to her aunt Anna Gordy, as Anna couldn't have children. A tale of "altruism" that some might consider very touching if it weren't for the fact that Denise was only 16 at the time. But if anyone reading this knows a bit about Marvin Gaye, they'll know it's not the craziest thing that happened in that man's life.
To further illustrate what I just shared, I'll leave a family tree here so you can place the names (and yes, Berry Gordy is a distant relative of Jimmy Carter, but if I got into that story, the post would become too crazy).
In summary, the Gordy surname doesn't carry as much weight as it used to, and although they will continue to be considered musical aristocracy, legends, by the American music industry (and much of the international one), they are no longer royalty. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that this family has a place in music history that few others do. Even though Motown is no longer an independent record label and operates under the Capitol umbrella (Universal), its contributions are immeasurable. To say that they left their mark on an era, in my humble opinion, is an understatement. Just think about the "Motown sound" – that term exists, but there's no "Virgin sound" or "Geffen sound." The legacy Motown left in music and its history, especially in African American music, taking it to great heights in a country that has been so hostile to them, should say it all.
And with that, I'm signing off, leaving you to let the knowledge sink in with a playlist of the "Motown Sound." If it's giving me a headache to write it, I can't imagine what it's like to read it. Hopefully, I'll be back to write another post in less than 3 years. Let's not lose hope, folks.
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